Page 71 of Wicked Games

“Yeah, maybe.” Carey scratched the back of her neck. “Anyway, I know we have no proof about any of this, but I still think it’s the best theory we’ve managed to come up with so far. It explains why we’re all here without it being a revenge scheme.”

“True. It’s fucked up, though. If she really wants all of us to die, I mean.”

“Yeah. It’s horrible.” A sudden jolt shook Carey’s body, and she rubbed her forearms, inhaling deeply. “Brooke and April are terrified of dying here. Zach is too. He doesn’t want to admit it, because he’s trying to act all brave and masculine, but I can tell.”

“Honestly, I’m scared too,” I admitted, rubbing her shoulder. “I’m scared something will happen to you. Something I can’t protect you from.”

“Me too,” she murmured. She took another deep breath. “I keep thinking I’m going to lose you even though I only just found you.”

“We can stop it.” I paused and rubbed my forehead, jaw clenching hard. “We just need to find some proof that we’re right about Kiara and Jasmine. If they’re really behind all this shit, the rest of us can easily overpower the two of them.”

“And then what?” she asked. “We tie them up and keep them as hostages until their minions are forced to release us?”

“I don’t know.” I rubbed my head again, brows dipping in a frown. “I haven’t thought it all the way through yet. But speaking of minions, the Game Master definitely has outside help, right?”

“I’d say so, yeah.”

“It’s just way too much for one or two people to set all this shit up,” I continued. “Also, someone is out there watching the games on the cameras, monitoring everything else that happens, making the announcements, and sending the texts. It can’t be someone in the player group, because we’d see them doing it.”

“Exactly. Whoever planned this whole scheme must be getting a lot of help, and that means they have access to a ton of money and manpower. That’s something Kiara and Jasmine both have, given their backgrounds.” Carey tilted her head slightly to the side. “But how can we find the proof we need to catch them out? It’s not like we can search their bedrooms without them noticing.”

“There could be evidence in other places. I think we should take advantage of the lack of curfew tonight. Go and explore.”

Carey’s nose wrinkled. “But we already tried exploring the other day, and we didn’t find anything, unless you count all the mics and cameras Rhys found.”

“I know, but other hallways have been unsealed now, remember? So there’s a lot more for us to look at.”

Her brows shot up. “True. I didn’t even think of that.”

“There’s something else too,” I said, sitting up straighter. “There’s always been rumors floating around Babylon aboutsecret passages somewhere on campus, and those buildings are all the same as Icarus Hall. Catch my drift?”

“You think there’s secret passages here?”

I nodded. “I think there could be. The Game Master is getting around this place without the rest of us seeing or hearing anything, right?” I said. “That makes me think there could be passages or tunnels behind the walls or under the floors. Maybe even both. If I’m right, and we can actually find one of these hidden passage entrances, we might be able to find the main control room and get all the proof we need.”

Carey shrugged, lips pressing into a flat line. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re just moving around the mansion when we’re stuck in our bedrooms. That would explain the curfew.”

“Maybe. But I think they’re getting around at other times too, when we’re all awake. That’s how the drawing room keeps getting filled with freshly cooked food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.” I hesitated, raising my brows. “Also, the drawing room door is always locked between meals. But if the food is only getting restocked while we’re stuck in our rooms, why would they even bother keeping that door closed and locked?”

“Just in case someone happens to break the curfew. They don’t want to be seen going in and out of the room.”

“But they know everyone’s too scared to break the curfew, because they made it clear we’d be punished for that. So it’s not like any of us are going to wander down to the drawing room at four in the morning and catch them bringing in coffee and croissants.”

“True.”

“Also, how exactly is that door getting unlocked and opened three times a day to let us in for meals? It’s not magic, and we can see there’s no automated locking mechanism on it, so it can’t be controlled from elsewhere in the building,” I went on. “I think someone is getting in there through another hidden doorwayand serving up the food before they unlock the main door from the inside. If they were unlocking it from the outside, we’d probably hear their footsteps down in the foyer, right? When we’re awake, that is.”

“True. I’ve never heard a peep from the foyer.” Carey’s brows knitted. “But back to your earlier point… why bother closing the door and locking it between meals if they’re not actually afraid of us seeing them going in and out?”

“I think they keep it closed between meals to make sure we don’t spend too much time poking around in there,” I replied. “Because if we did, we might find the passage entrance. If it actually exists, that is.”

Carey frowned and looked over at the wall, lips twisting.

“Look, I know this secret passage shit probably sounds crazy,” I said. “But I really think there could be something here.”

“I don’t think it’s crazy. I think you might be right,” Carey finally said, looking back at me. “I never really thought about any of this stuff before, but itispretty weird. So I guess there could be an access point to a network of passages in that room. One that allows the Game Master and their minions to restock the drawing room, unlock the door without us seeing or hearing them, and creep around the rest of the building to set everything up.”

“Yup. That’s exactly what I think.”

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